Windmill



Oct. 11, 1927. l 1,644,912

F'. R. BURCH WINDMILL 1 Filedv March Al2. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet A1 ATTORNEY Oct. 1l, 1927.

1,644,912 F. R. BURcH WINDMILL Filed Maron 12, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 f WLM M ATTORNEY Patented Oct. `11, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

FREDERICK R. BURCH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS A.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BURCH, OF

WIN DMILL.

Application filed March 12, 1925. Serial No. 14,894.'

This invention relates yto windmills or, more particularly, wind actuated motors.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which will be of strong and durable construction, efficient in operat-ion, and which may be regulated to meet various duties and requirements in use.

rihe invention, generally, consists in a rotary mast with two vertically spaced sets of arms radiating' therefrom, the arms of one set being disposed in vertical planes with the respective arms of the other set, and vertically arranged wings, preferably canvas sails, carried by the complementary arms of both sets of arms.

Said wings are, moreover, arranged to swing about vertical axes, and are connected one with the other in a manner to mutually regulate their operation under various wind conditions.

rThe invention further consists in the provision of wing controlling devices which act automatically responsive to increasing wind pressures to govern the windmill accordingly.

The invention further consists in manually controlled means for regulating` the action of the wing membersto prevent the operation of the windmill under any wind velocity.

The invention still further consists in the novel construction, adaptation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a vertical section of apparatus embodying the invention in a construction now preferred by me, said section being taken substantially on broken lines 1 1 of F ig. 4. F ig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, are plan views, shown somewhat diagrammatically, illustrating relative positions of the sails in various operative and inoperative positions.

ln said drawings, the reference numeral 10 represents a vertical shaft or mast which is shown as being reinforced by means of tie-rods 11 and struts 12.'

The lower end of said mast is journaled in a foot bearing provided within a casing 9 which is desirably supported by means of gimbal devices 13, or an equivalent, above a foundation 14.

The upper end of the mast is journaled in a ring 15 which in the illustrated embodiment is connected as by means of guys 16 with suitable anchor posts or an equivalent, not shown, to maintain the mast substantially vertical.

Rigid with the mast are pairs of radiating arms 17 and 18, four pairs being shown. l'he complementary arms 17 and 18 of each pair thereof are arranged parallel, or nearly so, with each other and in the same vertical plane.

19 represent stays, connecting the outer ends of each pair of mast arms together, said arm ends being also connected by stays 2O and 21 with the mast as shown in Fig. 1. r1`he stays 2O and 21 are each advantageously formed of two rods which are adjustably coupled with each other by turn buckles 22, or equivalent tensioning means.

Connected to each of the stays 19 is an upper' boom 23 and a lower boom 24, the same being pivotally connected intermediate their length, as at 25 and 251 to the respective stay to provide at one side of the pivotal connections arms 231 and 241, and arms 232 and 242 at the other side. The outer ends of the arms 23l and 241 of each pair of arms are connected as by twofpart tie-rod whose parts 27 are coupled as by means of a turn buckle 28.

Located between the complementary booms are wings or sails designated by A, B, C, and D, the head and footof each sail being secured to the respective boom arms 232 and 242; the fore-leech of the sail being secured as by means of rings 31 to the associated stay 19.

The booms 23 are raised to spread the sails, and lowered to furl them, as by means of halyards 32 having an end of each connected to the respective boom and thence through blocks 33 depending from the mast arms '17, said halyards being led through suitable guides, such as indicated by 331, provided'upon the mast arms 18, the other ends 321 of the halyards being secured'y to cleats, as 34, or other attaching means provided upon the mast within convenient reachy of an attendant.

The sail-carrying boom arms 232 and 242 have secured -to their outer ends 35 and 351, ropes 36 and 37 which are rove through pulleys, such as 38, secured to the outer ends of the arms 231 and 241 of the booms pertaining to the adjacent sails circumterentially of the Windmill as represented in Figs.V 3 and 4, for example. These ropes 36 and 37, tivo Vtor each sail, lead through pulleys 39 and 40 upon the respective mast arms and thence extend as leads, such as 41 and 42, to a heavy body 46 to which the various ropes 36 and 37 are detachably connected as by hooks or other known means, not shown. y

Supplemental to the ropes above described, l provide means for securing a sail or sails edgevvise to the Wind so that, when desired, the, latter may be rendered incapable ot re.- volving the sails. As illustrated, such sail securing means comprise ropes 4T and 48 which are secured to the outer ends 35 and 35.1 of the arms 232 and 242 ot" the booms of one sail, as A for instance,y said securing ropes leading throughr guides or pulleys 44 provided upon the respective mast arms and are fastenable to means, such as a cleat 49, provided upon the mast.. Y

The operation ot. the above described embodiment of the inventionis as follows: Under ordinary Working conditions and with a moderate Wind blowing in the direction ot thefarrovvs lV, andassuming that the sails A, B, C, endl), at one period ot' their revo lution, denoted bydirection arrow l, occupy the relative positions in'Which they are represented in Fie', 3, that is to say-With respect to the Wind direction, sail D is at sub# stantially right angles thereto, sail Bis neaiuV ly so, and sails A and C are disposed in acute langular relations to the Wind.

`The reason the sails occupy these relative angular positions is. because the effective Windpressures upon thek various sails tend to turnthem about their respective axes in the directions indicatedbyarrovvs a, o, o, and d; subject, hotvevento the 4regulating ropes which are controlled by the Vtorce ot gravitation eXercisedby the heavy body 46 (Fig. The turning ofthe sails about their individual aXes is thus constrained by said regulatingV ropes which, for vconvenience of explanation, may berlesignated in the diagrammaticviefyvs 3 to 6 inclusive by a2, 6I, '01 and d1. Moreparticularly, with reference to Fig., the sail D receiving'the maximum `force tot the Wind isheld by means of both otthe ropes. el? and al trom turning., about itsaxis d2 auch in turn, reacts through rope al? of sail `A. to keep the latterin its. illustrated rotary position Vabout its axis a2.

` Furthermore, therope 01 from the sail C serves. to hold the sail B as shown in Fig. 3. `The rope 251 being at this time slack.

' Assuming now the'sails revolve into the 1 ositions in which they are illustrated in Eig; 4, the Wind impelled turning movements of the 'sails `with regard to their axes otrotation ci?, 52, c? and `all' Will causetlie ropes .r6-5..,cr1, all, and c1 tobe and the ropeb1L to be ln each of the sail positions above eX'- plained and, intact, in practically all other positions Which the sails assume When subjected to a Wind oit moderate torce, each sail contributes to eiiect the orbital travel oit all of the sails about the mast or the axis oi the masts rotation. When the Wind velocity, l'iowever, increases the apparatus regulates itseliz to cause relatively higher velocity of Winds to become impotent, so tar as producing any injury to the apparatus.

'lhis automatic sail regulating function Will be understood with reference to Fig. 5, wherein a Wind pressure greater than that by which the machine is intended to produce power,the sails A, BK), and l) will successively occupy the angular positions in which sails il and B are represented in ll ig. 5, i. e.-edgevvise positions or nearly so, to the Wind, the lother sails C and l) meanwhile presenting sail surfaces to the wind insuiii cient'to be harmful except in tempests or gaies such asy oitentimen occur in some districts.

'ln such automatic protective actiona material increase of air pressure upon the sails will serve to edect the elevation of thev heavy body'46 (Fig. l) which, it is to be noted, const tutes a gravity controlled governor. ln the illustrated example (llig. 5) the effective lengths between sails oi the regulating ropes areextended, and each such rope becoming slack successively When in transit through the shown.

VFor adjusting the apparatus to ensure a Wind becoming inetl'ective to revolve the sails, and also for the purpose ot withstand ing gales, all that is requisite is that the attendant disengages from the heavy body 46 all ot the reo'ulating ropes al, b1, c1 and Z1 (such as denoted by' and 37 in Figs. l and 2) to permit the sails to swing like weather@ varies Ywith respect to their axes; and in addition by securing the sail A in parallel relation to. the mast arms i7 and' 18 therefor, as accomplished by means ot the Vropes 47 and 48 and the cleat 49. Y

lt is believed that the construction of the illustrated embodiment which is noiv preferred by me otthe invention, its mode of operation, and the manner in which the same is regulated to meet Working conditions or exigencies will be clear from the foregoing description. Y

l do not Wish to be understood as contining myself specically to the illustrated construction, as l may wish .to avail myselic ot changes in design, proportions and otherwise which may come Within the spirit oli' the invention as defined in the following claims.

lllhat l claim,` is,-

l. ln a Windmill., the combination With a rotatable mast having pairs of arms radiatingV therefrom, the arms 'of each pair yregion in Which the rope c1 is thereof being located one above the other, of sails positioned between each pair of arms, said sails being arranged for rotary movements about axes concentric with the mast and extending vertically through the respective arms and revoluble with the latter, halyards depending' from the upper of said arms for supporting the respective sails, said halyards also serving for raising and lowering the sail selectively into and out of operating positions, and means connectingthe adjacent sails for mutually regulating the rotative actions thereof in their revoluble travel about the mast aXis.

2. 1n windmill, in combination, a rotatable mast, arms rigid with said mast and radiating therefrom, sails provided with booms pivotally connected to the respective arms for rotative movement about substantially vertical axes, regulating ropes connectinc' the booms of the successive sails with eacn other circumferentially of the windmill, and governing means for controlling the action of the respective regulating ropes.

S. In a windmill, the combination with a rotatable mast and arms radiating therefroi sails pivotally connected to said arms for rotative movement about substantially vertical axes, said sails being revoluble in unison with said mast, regulating means connecting the successive sails with each other circumferentially of the windmill, and a gravity actuated governing means for controlling the action of the respective regulating means.

e. 1n a windmill, a mast mounted for rotation, arms rigid with said mast and eX- 'tending radially therefrom, said arms being disposed in pairs, a stay connecting each pair of arms, sail mounted for rotary motion to each of said stays, means for elevatand lowering said sails into operative operative positions, flexible means conthe sails one with the other for regulating the angularity of their positions with one of the sails to the associated arms and in a predetermined position with respect thereto, and means for rendering the sail regulating means inoperative.

5. ln a windmill arranged to have all of its sails err-posed simultaneously to a wind, a rotatable mast, a series of rotatable sails arranged for revoluble travel about the axis of the mast for driving the latter, and means connecting the successive sails with each other circumferentially of the windmill for regulating the angles of the planes of all of the Aails with respect to the wind.

5. ln a windmill, a mast having two sets of radiating arms disposed at two elevations, stays connecting the complementary arms of each set thereof, sails Aconnected at their fore-leeches to the respective stays, a head boom and a foot boom for each sail, halyards connected to the upper booms for raising and lowering the respective sails, regulating ropes connecting the booms of the adjacent sails with each other, and means i'or securing one of said sails in a direction substantially radially of the mast.

7. 1n a windmill, a mast having two sets of radiating arms disposed at two elevations, stays connecting the complementary arms of each set thereof, sails connected at their fore-leeches to the respective stays, a head boom anda foot boom for each sail, halyards connected to the upper booms for raising and lowering the respective sails, regulating ropes connecting the booms at the adjacent sails witheach other, and gravitation controlled means connected to said regulating ropes to enable the latter to regulate the action of said sails responsive to variations in wind velocities.

8. in a windmill, a mast having two sets of radiating arms disposed at two elevations, stays connecting the complementary arms of each set thereof, sails connected at their foreleeches to the respective stays, a head boom and a foot boom for each sail, halyards connected to the upper booms for raising and lowering the respective sails, regulating ropes connecting the booms of the adjacent sails with each other, gravitation controlled means connected to said regulating ropes to enable the latter to regulate the action of said sails responsive to variations in wind velocities, and means for securing-one of said sails in a direction substantially radially of the mast.

9. ln a windmill, a rotary mast, two sets of arms radiating therefrom in vertically spaced-apart relation, stays lconnecting the outer ends of complementary arms of both sets thereof, stays extending from said arm ends to the mast, a pair of booms pivotally connected intermediate their lengths to each of the iirst named stays to provide boom arms at opposite side of the same, a sail between each pair of booms, the head and foot thereof being connected to correspondingly directed arms of the respect-ive pair of booms, and sail regulating means connecting the sail carrying arms of each boom with the other arms of an adjacent pair of booms.

l0. ln a windmill, in combination, a rotatable mast, sails revoluble with the mast and rotatable about the aXes of the respective sails, of direction regulating means for said sails, said means comprising flexible devices connecting the sails one with the other in series circumferentially of the windmill, and governing means responsive to changes in the velocity of the wind for controlling said regulating means.

Signed at Seattle, lNashington, this 25th day of February, 1925.

FREDERICK R. BURCH. 

